The Change from Solar to Wind Energy

State Standards: GLEs/GSEs

The earth is part of the solar system, made up of distinct parts that have temporal and spatial interrelationships.
ESS1 (ext.)-3 Students demonstrate an understanding of processes and change over time within earth system by
3aa describing how interaction of wind patterns, ocean currents, and mountain ranges results in a global pattern of latitudal bands of rain, forests, and deserts.

National Standards:

12DESS1.3 Heating of earth’s surface and atmosphere by the sun drives convection within the atmosphere and oceans, producing winds and ocean currents.

Context of Lesson:

To introduce the idea that the Sun plays the most significant role in controlling our Earth’s weather system and annual climates; its interaction with the atmosphere is unique. To display the sources of energy that feed major weather/system patterns, such as wind, clouds, waves, and convection zones.
Students will be presented with dilemmas to encourage critical thinking of finding the sources of energy that drive Earth’s weather.

Opportunities to Learn:

Depth of Knowledge:

Prerequisite Knowledge:

Assume little to no knowledge on winds or waves. Introductory lesson.

Plans for Differentiating Instruction:

Incorporating a reader response for verbal learners and for students who are shy. Visual notes will be drawn on the board along with verbal student-teacher discussions.

Accommodations and modifications:

Lesson will be modified and/or slowed down with more examples of students are not understanding materials. Worksheets will be made after lesson as a review for today's lesson.

Environmental factors:

Materials

globe
Reader Response
Handout of page 300 in The Blue Planet X 2 (will need two copies for each student)
a copy of page 301 TEACHER REFERENCE ONLY
for my own records, review these sites:
http://ggweather.com/enso/years.htm
http://iri.columbia.edu/climate/ENSO/background/pastevent.html#list
http://www.atmos.washington.edu/gcg/RTN/rtnt.html
[[http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/elnino/1997.html ]]< click on economic implications
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/el.nino/strange.brew/
figure 11.1 found on Pg. 242 of The Blue Planet (handout is optional)
Worksheet 1 Change from Solar to Wind handout

Objectives:

You will be able to

describe the role of the sun on Earth as a closed system
distinguish between climate and weather
describe what a convection zone is
describe why we have seasons
describe why and how clouds, wind, and rain form
identify where the energy of wind comes from
describe Hadley cells
read and understand your notes, which will summarize what you learned in class today

Instruction:

Opening:

Activity 1: Reader Response

Write on board the following questions:
- What do you think this article is talking about?
- What stands out to you?
- Do you think this is part of their regular climate or part of something else? Give a specific example from the text to support your reasoning.
Pass out this handout and have students read to themselves and answer the following questions on the back of the article.
- It can be found at the following hyperlink:

CNN 1997

Activity 2: Students are driven to find an answer to the simple question, “Where does wind come from?”

Question 1 posed: Has anyone ever taken up surfing/sailing?

Question 2 posed: How do you move?

Expected Answer: Wind

Wind creates waves.
What causes wind?

Ask students to draw their best representation of wind/draw it myself.

Sun's energy creates wind in the form of heat.
Take out a picture that has the sun drawn on it (if there is one) and point out that this drawing is a good one.

Activity 3: How is heat energy transferred into kinetic energy?

Draw a hot air balloon.
- ex. of heat energy converting to kinetic energy
- review definition of temperature: a measure of energy of the molecules in the system.

"blank"_ involves a series of steps:
1. The atmosphere is unevenly heated just as hot air balloon is heated unevenly compared to atmosphere.

Question: Where can this be viewed?

Expected Answers show proof for this fact: two different locations in the world, two different parts of RI have different temperatures.

2. A parcel of air becomes warmer than its surroundings, making its molecules increase in speed, just as hot air balloon.
- Diagram of cold air vs. Warm air
3. More motion amongst the molecules makes it less dense, and the air appears to rise = rising of air balloon

label diagram with density
ex #2 top-story of house (attic) being warmer than the bottom level

Scientific answer: The fundamental physical property behind it is density. As hot air contain atoms and molecules with higher kinetic energy than cold air. As a result it has a lower density, and the cold air goes downwards.

(write near diagram) Density causes cold air to sink under warm air, making warm air rise

At higher elevations, air experiences a lower pressure. Since less force is pushing on the molecules, it allows more room to expand. (Of lesser importance: as temperature increases, volume increases because if the Ideal Gas Law).
HAVE THEM PICTURE AIR AS A FLUID WITH BOILING WATER.

4. As this expansion and rising takes place, cooler air flows to replace the heated air.
write Air Circulation in the blank
Summary:

air circulation

the entire process by which wind is created

convection

steps 2 and 3 (highlight it)

Question : Where else on the earth do warmer areas replace colder areas. Hint, it is something else besides air.

Expected answer: some plate boundaries

Expected conclusion: Circulation of air via the sun is what drives the wind.

Question 7 posed: What would be some weather characteristics surfers might depend on? wind speed, temperature. See if anyone is more educated on surfing than I am so they can help.

Fun Fact: The highest wind speed ever recorded on earth is 231 mi/h on Mt. Washington, NH in April 1934

Activity 4: Next, examine some other effects of the environment together on Indonesia.

----

1. Take the climate of Indonesia. Where is it located and what is the climate like there?
- A student can come point to it on the globe. See if they have an idea of the climate there.
- World travel guide says- tropical, monsoons (wind that brings heavy rainstorms, hurricane), have a wet and dry season mean temp around 80 degrees F; on equator
2. What is the difference between their climate and weather patterns?
- Have students distinguish between climate (long term averages) and weather (short term); remind them about sun’s rotation if necessary.
3. What could cover this much ground? not a hurricane, wind can have this effect

We can revisit Indonesia and climate change see web.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071130170615.htm

Activity 5: Introducing Polynesians.

Read page 241 The Blue Planet about Polynesians
- Sailing their canoes actually made use of 3 wind systems.
In Summary, The Polyensians zig-zagged up north till reached Hawaii via wind patterns. Their path involved crossing the equator and making use of the tradewinds. Somewhow, by observing winds and currents, ancient navigarors could get their geographic position.
- More Detail about Polynesians: S Havai'i (present day Raiatea, part of Society Islands) is located in SE tradewinds belt, where winds come from SE. It is also where W-flowing ocean current that lies just S of equator. Therefore their voyage started sailing somewhat East of North across belt until passing the equator. Then light winds and an E-flow current was passed. Then, farther N, they encountered NE tradewinds, then aother W-flowing current system that carried it NW toward Hawaii (pg 241 The Blue Planet).
Draw figure (11.1) pg 242 The Blue Planet on the board.

Activity 6: What happens to the wind at the equator?

Hand out Western Hemi handout.
Question 1 posed: Near the equator, What would you expect climate to be?

Write student answers on the board.

Question 2 posed:Using the info we know, what makes the equator different than other areas?

vibrate and rise because cold air sinks under them.
The sun heats the equator (since it is a sphere it heats the equator more than the poles)
heat wants to travel to a cooler place
uneven heating of the atmosphere causes wind to start from the equator and blow towards the poles, creating a cell or a convection zone (area where convection takes place).

On board, draw an entire convection zone together and remind them to hold onto this worksheet because we will be using it in the future. Have them write in the margins something that will summarize this picture. Once we agree on what to write, I will write in on the board too.
Next, tell them this is not the whole story because the convection zone stops at 30 degrees north and south. Using pg 301 from the blue planet as a guide, start students drawing a circle for their earth and then add in the first convection zone. Can anyone guess why the circulation might stop here?

Hadley cells.
- a convection zone that starts at the equator and ends at about 30 degrees N and S of the equator in latitude.
- Have them write this on their second copy and write the definition of Hadley cells on the board.

Closure:

Next class, will discover what makes the Hadley cells stop here.

homework

Watch website and be prepared to give input about it in class next time
- The World Bank - Climate Change- Indonesia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44S5sYWpwHE
ANDdo the Change from Solar to Wind worksheet

Assessment:

• Ask students to go over main points and have them look in their notes to tell me if they have written down what was went over. If one student does not have a definition, have a student that does read it. This will also tell me if students were able to follow the ideas in class or not.
• Also require they have a folder in the future for handouts. Put the date on top and their name.

Reflections

(only done after lesson is enacted)
Student Work Sample 1 – Approaching Proficiency:
Student Work Sample 2 – Proficient:
Student Work Sample 3 – Exceeds Proficiency:__

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